The Future of Everything

Food security expert David Lobell is immersed in the data of agriculture. He uses satellite imagery, yield data, and advanced computational modeling to analyze the roughly 500 million farms worldwide to increase productivity and ensure global food security – now and in the future. Though food is often taken for granted, feeding a hungry world is our greatest environmental challenge, he says. Lobell goes on to explain how data can do much more than increase yields – it also cuts costs, prevents conflicts, reduces emissions and deforestation, and improves nutrition. Smart farming is key to food security and avoiding the problems that stem from hunger, Lobell tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces guest David Lobell, a professor of Earth System Science at Stanford University 

(00:03:01) Path into Food Security

How Lobell’s interest in math and the environment led him to agriculture.

(00:04:31) Understanding Farming Systems

How farming differs across smallholder and large-scale operations.

(00:06:13) Agriculture’s Biggest Challenges

Improving productivity in developing regions &  reducing agriculture’s environmental impact.

(00:08:15) Farm Potential

How researchers estimate potential outputs & the barriers to better outcomes

(00:11:03) Using Satellites to Study Farms

How satellites help researchers understand what is happening in agriculture internationally.

(00:16:13) What Satellites Can Measure

Tracking crops, planting dates, harvest timing, yields, and management practices.

(00:18:23) Identifying Crops from Space

How seasonal patterns, biomass, and reflectance help distinguish crops.

(00:20:01) Why Food Matters

How food security connects to political stability, conflict, climate, and the environment.

(00:23:58) Cover Crops and Tradeoffs

Why a promising sustainability practice can sometimes reduce productivity.

(00:26:06) Crop Rotation Insights

How different rotations affect yields depending on local conditions.

(00:27:35) Personalized Farming

The importance of balancing large data with local information and implementation

(00:31:47) Future In a Minute

Rapid-fire Q&A: smarter farming, food access, and the future.

(00:33:01) Conclusion

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Fungi are “nature’s biological recycling machines,” says guest Vayu Hill-Maini, a former chef turned bioengineer. That is, they take waste and turn it into good things. Hill-Maini now melds his scientific and culinary skills to create new foods, but also medicines, faux leather, pigments and other valuable products from mushrooms and molds. He uses CRISPR gene editing technology to “domesticate” these fungi – removing off-flavors and increasing nutritional content to make new-age cheeses, burgers, salami, and more. “We call it the DBTL cycle – design, build, taste, learn,” Hill-Maini tells host Russ Altman about his creative process on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces guest Vayu Hill-Maini, a professor of bioengineering at Stanford University.

(00:03:33) From Chef to Bioengineer

How Hill-Maini’s culinary background led him to study food through science.

(00:05:23) Building a Lab with a Kitchen

Why his Stanford lab combines bioengineering research with culinary experimentation.

(00:07:32) What Are Fungi?

A primer on yeasts, molds, mushrooms, and their role in food and medicine.

(00:10:22) Domesticating Fungi

How humans have shaped fungi over thousands of years.

(00:14:23) Mushrooms as a Food Source

The nutrients, proteins, vitamins, and beneficial molecules found in fungi.

(00:16:21) Fungi as Biological Recyclers

Using fungi to turn food waste, agricultural waste, and other materials into useful products.

(00:18:22) Making Waste-Based Foods Desirable

Why taste, emotion, and culinary design matter for sustainable foods.

(00:20:22) Engineering Delicious Fungi

Using genetics and CRISPR to improve flavor, nutrition, and usability.

(00:22:50) Gentle Genetic Tweaks

Making small changes to reduce off-flavors or enhance useful traits.

(00:23:46) Design, Build, Taste, Learn

How the lab moves between kitchen and bench science to improve foods.

(00:24:06) Chefs in the Lab

How culinary collaborators help guide research and creativity.

(00:28:58) Fungi-Based Materials

The potential to create textiles, leather alternatives, and building materials.

(00:31:03) Future In a Minute

Rapid-fire Q&A: sustainability, students, and the promise of fungi.

(00:33:25) Conclusion

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In the dotcom era, communication professor Angèle Christin embedded herself in newsrooms, where she witnessed how audience metrics tilted journalism toward viral content over in-depth reporting. Christin now researches the influencer economy and how content creators monetize their production by any of three means – brand sponsorships, engagement-based payments from social media platforms, and direct-to-audience subscriptions, donations, or sales. She says this engagement-based ecosystem steers communication toward what captures attention, not always what best informs. To improve our reeling national dialogue, we must first change the financial model of social media content, Christin tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces guest Angèle Christin, a professor of sociology at Stanford University.

(00:02:28) From Journalism to Social Media

How Angèle’s research moved from journalism to influencers.

(00:03:23) Journalism’s Digital Disruption

How platforms and advertising shifts changed the news industry.

(00:06:16) Metrics in Newsrooms

Why journalists began tracking clicks, traffic, and audience behavior.

(00:09:01) Redefining Success

The tension between editorial quality and online popularity.

(00:14:08) Unbundling Media

How digital platforms changed the way audiences consume news.

(00:15:29) The Pull of Virality

Why going viral can be both rewarding and distorting.

(00:16:22) The Creator Economy

How influencers emerged as a new media ecosystem.

(00:19:09) Studying Influencers Online

How Christin researched creators during the pandemic.

(00:23:59) The Passion Principle

Why many creators begin by sharing expertise or personal experience.

(00:25:44) Influencer Revenue Models

The three main ways creators make money online, and the pitfalls of each model 

(00:33:59) Rethinking Monetization

The case for subscriptions, donations, and direct support.

(00:35:09) Future In a Minute

Rapid-fire Q&A: incentives, social media, and research.

(00:36:23) Conclusion

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Earlier this year, we got to witness the incredible launch and return of Artemis II, a NASA mission meant to lay the groundwork for a future lunar landing. Among the many accomplishments of the Artemis II mission, the crew successfully gathered real-time observations of the Moon that will contribute to our increased understanding of the cosmos. If you were inspired the same way we were, we thought it would be an opportune time to re-share an episode we recorded with astrophysicist Risa Wechsler on the future of the universe. We hope you’ll take another listen and that this episode will help you tap into more of that wonder the Artemis II crew sparked.

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces guest Risa Wechsler, a professor of astrophysics from Stanford University.

(00:01:30) Big Questions About the Universe

What the universe is made of, how it evolved, and how galaxies formed.

(00:02:15) Mapping the Universe

New surveys and telescopes enabling more detailed cosmic maps.

(00:04:22) What Is a “Map” of the Universe?

2D images, 3D structure, and looking back in time through light.

(00:05:48) Spectroscopy & Redshift

How astronomers measure distance and motion using light.

(00:08:41) Our Place in the Universe

Why there is no clear center or edge in the observable universe.

(00:10:54) A Clumpy Universe

How small early fluctuations led to galaxies and large-scale structure.

(00:12:06) How Galaxies Form

The role of dark matter and gas in building galaxies over time.

(00:14:35) Types of Galaxies

Why galaxies vary in size, structure, and environment.

(00:17:06) Gravity Across Scales

How the same laws govern everything from planets to galaxies.

(00:19:02) What Is the Universe Made Of?

The invisible matter shaping galaxies and cosmic structure.

(00:22:03) Using Maps to Study the Unknown

How large-scale surveys reveal dark matter and energy effects.

(00:24:43) The Milky Way as a Laboratory

Studying nearby galaxies to understand fundamental physics.

(00:26:48) Diversity in Galaxy Formation

How different histories shape galaxies.

(00:28:02) Reading Cosmic History

Using observations to reconstruct galaxy evolution.

(00:28:50) Observing Nearby Galaxies

Why distance matters for studying full galactic systems.

(00:29:17) Conclusion

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Michael Jewett is a pioneer of cell-free biotechnology. Instead of using living microbes as factories, he uses their internal molecular machinery to make valuable proteins, medicines, diagnostics, and other chemicals. Jewett recently used the technique for vaccine production in an approach that could produce up to 150,000 doses from one liter. He believes cell-free biotech could democratize the production of essential medicines, improve water safety, and help convert atmospheric carbon into useful products, among other promising possibilities. “It’s just-add-water biotechnology,” Jewett tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces Mike Jewett, a professor of bioengineering and chemical engineering at Stanford University.

(00:03:23) What Is Cell-Free Biotechnology?

Using the internal machinery of cells without the cells themselves.

(00:04:20) Removing “Evolutionary Baggage”

Why cells’ natural priorities can conflict with engineering goals.

(00:07:41) Advantages of Cell-Free Systems

From large-scale production to decentralized, on-demand manufacturing.

(00:11:40) Making Proteins Outside Cells

How DNA instructions are used to produce functional proteins.

(00:13:49) Biosensors for Water Safety

Detecting contaminants like lead using engineered proteins.

(00:17:05) Engineering Better Sensors

Improving sensitivity and selectivity through protein design.

(00:20:33) AI in Bioengineering

How data and models accelerate discovery and design.

(00:23:22) Sustainability & Carbon Capture

Turning atmospheric carbon into useful chemicals.

(00:26:18) Building New Biological Pathways

Combining chemistry and biology to create novel production systems.

(00:27:54) From Molecules to Materials

How acetyl-CoA enables fuels, plastics, and other products.

(00:30:51) Teaching Biotechnology

Making biotech accessible through hands-on, “just-add-water” kits.

(00:33:12) Future In a Minute

Rapid-fire Q&A: innovation, collaboration, and the future of biotech.

(00:35:32) Conclusion

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Education researcher Susanna Loeb studies the broad spectrum of learning experience, including ways to recruit and retain expert teachers, how to optimize classrooms, and the impact of technology on learning. She says pandemic-inspired innovations in tutoring have led to greater student engagement and improved learning outcomes. And on the growing influence of AI in education, Loeb counts herself an optimist. She sees it as a tool for good, enhancing personalized learning and supporting teachers. These innovations that didn’t exist a few years ago stand to help students to thrive, Loeb tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces guest Susanna Loeb, a professor of education at Stanford University.

(00:02:58) Path into Education

Susanna’s journey from engineering to education and her focus on impact at scale.

(00:04:41) The Field of Learning Science

The different approaches and challenges in education and its research.

(00:07:06) Tutoring After the Pandemic

How COVID exposed learning gaps and accelerated interest in tutoring.

(00:10:14) What Makes Tutoring Effective

The different factors that go into making tutoring effective.

(00:12:16) Spreading Proven Practices

Using proof points and partnerships to drive adoption across districts.

(00:14:00) Building Education Networks

The importance of trusted relationships and communication channels.

(00:14:50) AI in the Classroom

How schools are beginning to adopt AI tools and respond to demand.

(00:16:00) AI & Education

How teachers are leading AI adoption, with limited direct student use.

(00:19:37) A Framework for Using AI

The focus on improving student experiences and personalized learning.

(00:21:23) Studying AI in Real Time

Challenges of evaluating fast-changing tools and the need for rapid testing.

(00:23:22) Partnering with AI Companies

Collaborating with industry to test tools like ChatGPT in schools.

(00:25:26) AI & Tutoring

Blending human tutors with AI support to improve outcomes.

(00:27:22) The Limits of AI Tutors

Why human motivation and relationships remain essential.

(00:28:54) The Future of Education Systems

Balancing innovation with equitable access and student engagement.

(00:30:51) Future In a Minute

Rapid-fire Q&A: optimism, scaling education, and collaboration.

(00:32:54) Conclusion

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Computer scientist Keith Winstein is an expert in how computers communicate. Computer networks create what he calls shared fictions – abstract realities, like a website or a Zoom call, that exist only because the computers on either end agree to act as if they are real. Unfortunately, today’s networks lack a shared notion of a “computation,” which hurts market efficiency in cloud computing and frustrates efforts to hold tech companies accountable for the results of their algorithms. As computational power becomes concentrated in a smaller number of companies, Winstein advocates for a shared language of “computational truths,” defining computations precisely so results are reproducible and auditable. His research group hopes this will lead to greater transparency and accountability in the cloud and, ultimately, to greater confidence in the computations that companies do every day on our behalf. The truth matters, Winstein tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces guest Keith Winstein, a professor of computer science and electrical engineering at Stanford University

(00:02:56) Why Choose Networking

The appeal of the shared digital “fictions” created by connected computers.

(00:04:22) The Internet’s Impact

The broader societal implications of networking technologies.

(00:05:35) Computational Truth

The concept of tracking how data is produced and verified.

(00:09:18) Misaligned Cloud Computing

How “pay for effort” models create inefficiencies in cloud systems.

(00:13:51) Determining Computational Truth

The need for verifiable computation that produces consistent results.

(00:18:19) Computations & Accountability

How identifying computations could improve trust in systems.

(00:20:56) Collaborating Online

Why latency challenges make online performance collaboration difficult.

(00:24:38) Real-Time Performance Systems

Creating a custom system for musicians to perform together online.

(00:28:00) Latency vs. Bandwidth

Why faster internet speeds don’t necessarily reduce delay.

(00:30:43) Eliminating Latency

How buffering layers in software create unnecessary delay.

(00:32:41) Balancing Audio Quality & Delay

The different trade-offs for musicians, actors, and audiences.

(00:34:20) Rethinking Computer Science Education

The need to bring playfulness and interactivity back into learning.

(00:35:46) The Xylophone-Based Class

Teaching computation through real-time sound and music.

(00:38:34) Future In a Minute

Rapid-fire Q&A: optimism, truth in computing, and innovation.

(00:41:01) Conclusion

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April is Earth Month, and in appreciation of the plant life all around us, we’re re-running a conversation we had with Beth Sattely last year on the future of plant chemistry. Beth reminds us that plants are more than food or pretty things to look at — they have the potential to help us fight climate change or even cancer. We hope you’ll take another listen and join us in learning more about how plants can positively impact environmental and human health.

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces guest Beth Sattely, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford University.

(00:01:28) Path to Plant Metabolism

How chemistry and gardening led to a career in plant science.

(00:02:12) Environmental & Human Health

Using plants to improve both the planet and people’s well-being.

(00:03:11) Engineering Climate-Resilient Crops

Making crops more sustainable and nutritious amid global change.

(00:04:16) Old vs. New Crop Engineering

Comparing traditional breeding with modern molecular tools.

(00:06:22) Industry & Long-Term Food Security

The gap between short-term market goals and long-term environmental needs.

(00:07:31) Tomato Chemistry

Tomatoes reveal how plants produce protective molecules under stress.

(00:10:44) Plant “Vaccines” & Immune Signaling

How plants communicate threats internally and mount chemical defenses.

(00:12:32) Citrus Greening & Limonoids

The potential role of limonoid research on citrus greening.

(00:15:17) Plants Making Medicine

How plants like Yew trees naturally produce cancer drugs like Taxol.

(00:19:37) Diet as Preventative Medicine

Identifying plant molecules to understand their preventative health effects.

(00:22:54) Food Allergies & Plant Chemistry

Why the immune system tolerates some foods and rejects others.

(00:25:00) Understanding Tolerance in Immunity

Possibility of reintroducing tolerance through partial molecular exposure.

(00:26:20) Engineering Healthier Plants

Potential for designing plants to enhance micronutrient content.

(00:27:58) Training the Next Generation

Beth celebrates her students’ role in shaping a sustainable future.

(00:28:57) Conclusion

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Candace Thille is an authority in learning science, educational technology, and AI-enabled learning environments. She is closing the two-way gap between the science of learning research and the hands-on practice of instruction to help students learn better. Timely and targeted feedback with the opportunity to apply that feedback is critical to learning, Thille says, and this is an area where AI supporting humans excels. She imagines a day in the not-too-distant future when human educators and AI-enabled assistants unite to help students learn faster and better than ever before. Learning is not a spectator sport, and AI can help us engage with learners – and educators – in new ways, Thille tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces guest Candace Thille, a professor of education at Stanford University.

(00:03:16) Path into Learning Science

How Candace became interested in improving how people learn.

(00:03:47) The Science of Learning

An overview of the field and why it’s still developing.

(00:04:42) Training Educators

How learning science is applied in teacher education.

(00:05:17) The Research to Practice Gap

Why insights from classrooms rarely feed back into research.

(00:06:43) Technology Supporting Teachers

Using AI and other technological tools to enhance teaching.

(00:09:00) The Open Learning Initiative (OLI)

The origins of one of the first large-scale digital learning systems.

(00:11:08) Learning with OLI

How feedback and structured practice improved student outcomes.

(00:13:14) Building OLI Across Disciplines

The collaboration between researchers, instructors, and engineers.

(00:14:36) The Accelerated Learning Study

Evidence that students can learn faster without sacrificing outcomes.

(00:18:02) Learning Science at Amazon

Applying learning science research to workplace education.

(00:22:29) Research as a Feedback Loop

Why teaching practice should continuously inform research.

(00:24:49) The Importance of Infrastructure

Using captured learning data to improve instruction at scale.

(00:25:37) Predictive AI for Learning Science

The applications of older AI models in learning science research.

(00:28:22) Generative AI as a Learning Interface

How generative AI can make education more accessible.

(00:31:01) The Myth of Learning Styles

The misconception that most people have different learning styles.

(00:33:30) Future In a Minute

Rapid-fire Q&A: new tools, data infrastructure, and supporting learners.

(00:35:24) Conclusion

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Legal expert Richard Ford studies the intersection of dress codes and the law. Clothing and hairstyles communicate power, identity, and social status, he says. Legal restrictions on dress stretch at least to the Middle Ages when “sumptuary laws” stipulated what one could wear by rank. Today, written rules have given way to unwritten codes that are in many ways more powerful culturally. Fashion is not trivial, he says, and no less worthy of study than high art or music. Clothing shapes everything, Ford tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces guest Rich Ford, a professor of law at Stanford University.

(00:02:21) From Law to Fashion

Rich Ford explains the legal roots of dress code disputes.

(00:03:42) The Origins of Dress Codes

Sumptuary laws and how clothing signaled social hierarchy.

(00:05:06) Formal vs. Informal Dress Codes

The shift from written laws to social norms and cultural expectations.

(00:06:28) Teenagers & Self-Expression

How people push boundaries within strict dress codes.

(00:08:01) Masculine Renunciation

Why men abandoned flashy fashion in the 1700s.

(00:09:42) The Feminization of Fashion

The gender shift in clothing and style expectations.

(00:10:57) Controlling Dress Codes

The effectiveness and consequences of imposed dress standards.

(00:12:44) Hair, Identity, & Regulation

The cultural and legal significance of hairstyles in dress codes.

(00:14:40) Civil Rights & Clothing

How dress became a tool for dignity and resistance.

(00:18:29) Dressing for Respect

How lived experience shaped Rich’s interest in fashion

(00:20:40) Reverse Snobbery

Why dressing casually can function as a marker of social standing

(00:22:28) Gender Inequality in Fashion

How clothing has historically limited women.

(00:24:46) The “Midtown Uniform”

How informal norms create uniformity even in the absence of rules.

(00:26:03) Uniforms & Social Equality

The benefits and limitations of uniforms in educational settings

(00:27:44) The Future of Dress Codes

Why fashion won’t disappear but is becoming more casual.

(00:28:49) Future In a Minute

Rapid-fire Q&A: young people, time, and studying tailoring.

(00:30:10) Conclusion

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